Uni Watch Cold Case File Revisited: X Marks the Spot

By Paul Lukas, on March 24th, 2008

Almost exactly one year ago, I posted this entry, which concerned the players apparently wearing the “S,” instead of uni numbers, in this spring training photo. Twelve months and three days later, I still haven’t gotten a definitive explanation of what was going on in that shot (and believe me, I’ve tried). Last week, in fact, the mystery deepened — and a related mystery was added to the queue.

Here’s the deal: Last Wednesday Scott M.X. Turner sent me the link to this eBay auction (now ended), which as you can see was for an “X”-emblazoned Dodgers jersey. Even more interestingly, we can see that this jersey had a regular uni number on the back — something we couldn’t know for sure about the jerseys in that other photo. I still have no clue about the story behind any of this. If any of you do, I’m listenin’.

As it happens, I was already pondering the vagaries of the Dodgers’ spring training uniforms when Scott got in touch with me, because reader Paul Wiederecht had contacted me just the day before with an intriguing Dodgers discovery of his own. As you know, this spring has marked the final year of Dodgertown, the team’s spring training facility in Vero Beach, and there were lots of Dodgertown tributes floating around the web last week. One of them was the video report found on this page. And that’s where things get interesting.

At about the 1:45 of the video, the narrator says, “[Tommy] Lasorda first came to Dodgertown in 1948.” And just as he says that, the video shows this image. Yes, that’s Lasorda at far left, but whatever — the real news is faint but unmistakable:

Dodgers in pinstripes!

In addition, the “LA” caps would suggest that this photo was taken at least a decade later than 1948, but that’s basically a red herring — the video producer probably just said, “Find me an early photo of Lasorda at Dodgertown,” and this might have been the earliest one they could find. None of that detracts from the central question at issue here:

Dodgers in pinstripes!

I’ve shared this photo with all the usual suspects — Todd Radom, Tom Shieber, the SABR listserv — and nobody has a clue. Do you?

Uni Watch News Ticker: Super-duper thanks to all my birthday well-wishers from Friday (and especially to Minna H. and Nicole Haase, who sent me an e-cards with this image and this image, respectively). No writer has ever had a better audience than you people — thanks for everything. ”¦ Reprinted from Friday’s comments: O.J. Mayo wore NBA socks on Thursday. ”¦ Check out the 1947 Tamko Roofers, who beat the Harlem Globetrotters by one point. Note the unusual uni numbers (further details here, courtesy of Phillip Rerat). ”¦ Just when you thought logo creep couldn’t get any worse, check out the palms of these gloves (with thanks to Kevin Werther). ”¦ Interesting Japanese soccer facemask here (as forwarded by Jeremy Brahm). ”¦ Photos of those really boring Mets jerseys for the Civil Rights Game on display here (with thanks to Corey Kanterman). ”¦ Tom Adjemian notes that when the Red Sox gave personalized jerseys to two U.S. military officials in Japan on Friday, they wise chose to use road jerseys. ”¦ Someone on the Chris Creamer board recently pointed out that the NHL logo has been missing from Stu Barnes’s collar lately. ”¦ New Quad Cities River Bandits uniforms here. ”¦ As most of you know, the Red Sox will be wearing EMC advertising patches for their games in Japan tomorrow and Wednesday. For their weekend exhibition games against Japanese teams, the Sox also had Ricoh helmet decals, which I assume they’ll be wearing against the A’s as well. But Oakland’s exhibition games found the A’s wearing Pepsi sleeve patches. If this distinction holds up on Tuesday and Wednesday, it’ll mark the first time that the two teams in a season-opening series in Japan have worn different advertising sleeve patches (wow, there’s a real landmark). ”¦ Is that a fridge magnet or what? ”¦ And was it really necessary to put the “Opening Series” logo on David Ortiz’s (or anyone’s) sake masu? ”¦ Cool photo of the 1947-48 North Mankato Vikings (courtesy of Sam McCullough). ”¦ You probably know that the Yankees, Dodgers, and Giants wore a trylon and perisphere sleeve patch in 1938 to promote the 1939 World’s Fair. What you may not know — and what I didn’t know myself until I stumbled across it while looking for something else — is the situation spelled out in this photo and caption. Looks like it was just a photo-op thing, not something worn in an actual game, but it’s still pretty cool. … Reprinted from last night’s comments: Todd Helton appears to have switched to Adidas cleats (a big change from the situation profiled here). ”¦ Faaaaascinating corporate logo quiz, guaranteed time-waster, here (great find by David Soline). ”¦ Chris Smith notes that the Texas A&M player in this photo is wearing a Nike knee brace, even though the Aggies are an Adidas school. ”¦ Tom Turner recently wrote in to tell me the following: “The Rangers under Billy Martin once wore their road powder blues at home with white pants around 1974 against the A’s. It was on NBC’s Saturday Game of the Week.” Can anyone verify this claim, or at least say if it rings a bell? ”¦ Interesting photo here of Robert “Tractor” Traylor with a “Tractor” NOB. “This appears to be from some league in Puerto Rico,” writes Jim Roddy. “This link has additional details and photos.” ”¦ You have got to be kidding me. … “This is from the NCAA 09 football game web site,” writes Marcus Ramsey. “What the hell is with that underarm?” Good question. Anyone..? ”¦ Scott Little has this Japanese jersey in his collection. Doesn’t look so remarkable until you take a closer look at the sleeve patch. Ride that hawk! ”¦ Many readers are justifiably excited about Sports Illustrated‘s new “Vault” search feature, which essentially lets you search the magazine’s complete archive — articles, photos, the works (further details here). Should come in handy for research projects.

This past summer when I was at the Hall of Fame to see Ripken I ran into an old Brooklyn Dodger outside of one of the shops…can’t remember for the life of me his name though.

Point being I asked him about the “S” on the spring training jerseys and he had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. Must be an LA only thing.

Matt D.|
March 24, 2008 at 8:11 am |

The Dodgers pic is a real stumper. They wore pinstripes in the teens and twenties, and even checks one season (1916), but I always thought the Dodgers script was only on a plain white uniform. Maybe a minor league team?
LA doesn’t make sense in this time frame, as they were a Cubs farm team until 1956 (I think).

Matt D.|
March 24, 2008 at 8:14 am |

[quote comment=”241779″]This past summer when I was at the Hall of Fame to see Ripken I ran into an old Brooklyn Dodger outside of one of the shops…can’t remember for the life of me his name though.

Point being I asked him about the “S” on the spring training jerseys and he had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. Must be an LA only thing.[/quote]

Joe…I was there too… I think Shotgun Shuba was signing at one store.

John Lemme|
March 24, 2008 at 8:24 am |

re: David Ortiz and advertising

If my Japanese is correct, in between the “’08” and the “MLB” on Ortiz’ red lapel-like thing it says “Ricoh”. It’s multi-lingual logo creep.

dm00n [Doug]|
March 24, 2008 at 8:33 am |

The SI archives are cool, I’ve already learned that Yogi Berra had the license plate YB 8, that SI was not a fan of the “gaudy” and “bizarre” green and gold A’s uniforms, that when the Dodgers moved to LA the ushers wore uniforms designed by “d’Grenza of Beverly Hills,” whoever that is.

Cable cars on a hardwood court
In their dazzling new uniforms the Warriors are a cinch to win the NBA’s fashion award of 1966
The San Francisco Warriors are simply stunning this season in their uniforms of California gold and San Francisco Bay blue, uniforms designed by–not a word of this to Lady Bird–a billboard artist. The jersey deserves special attention. On the back is the silhouette of a cable car climbing toward the right shoulder blade, where a cluster of stars is embossed. On the front is a circle with the outline of the Golden Gate Bridge. Above the circle are the words “The City.” Everybody is supposed to know which city, because, after all, it was not Manhattan where Tony Bennett left his heart. The pants have the word “Warriors” down each side and a small war-bonnet on the left front. The back of the warm-up jacket has a detailed end view of a cable car. The total effect is camp on the court, but somewhat overlooked in this fashion parade is a more important San Francisco innovation–the return to the sport of one of its favorite alumni, Bill Sharman.

What happened there? Let’s try one more time (if it doesn’t work, it’s in reference to the ticker item: “You probably know that the Yankees, Dodgers, and Giants wore a trylon and perisphere sleeve patch in 1938 …)”

Koshien is amazing — you’ll never see a more disciplined group of baseball-playing kids in your life!

My local team, Ohmi High School, has made it to the later rounds many times in recent years. And they do this in really cool pale-blue uniforms, so colored to evoke thoughts of Lake Biwa, the giant body of water in the middle of Shiga Prefecture.

Our new uniforms, with the old White Sox colors, the old-fashioned lettering and the turn-of-the-century collars, are perhaps my little way of hinting that strange and wondrous things are going to be happening at old Comiskey Park. Just as the three styles of pants–shorts, clam-diggers and knickers–are a way of informing our fans that we are not necessarily going to be bound by tradition. How are they reacting? Well, ticket sales are up 40% over last year at this time. That’s my kind of fan.

The first thing I did at the park was take off the door to my office and order that the opening be made about three times as large. If anybody wants to come to the park to see me, all he has to do is walk on in. The same thing with the telephone. You call Comiskey Park (WA 4-1000) and ask for Bill Veeck, and the switchboard operator isn’t going to ask who you are or what you want; the next voice you hear is going to be mine.

The fans don’t owe me a thing, of course, I owe them. They have given a 62-year-old, one-legged, can’t-see, can’t-hear guy a chance for a last hurrah.

Then there are the new Pittsburgh uniforms. Of a nylon and cotton material, knit and nearly formfitting, they have been compared to “ski pants, only all over” and to long Johns. The shirt is a pullover and the pants have an elastic band, a drawstring and no fly. “It’s like taking off a girdle,” says one Pirate. They do not flatter a fat man. The Pirates like them.

Mike|
March 24, 2008 at 8:56 am |

I know the Pirates cast hand me downs to players who show up to Pirate City in Bradenton for Spring Training. Some of these uniforms are ripped, repaired, etc. from the major leage team to be used by the minor league players who, of course, wear Pirates uniforms, not their regular team uniforms. Could it be the Dodgers were still using hand me downs for their AAA players when Lasorda started?

Jeff|
March 24, 2008 at 8:58 am |

Just wanted to mention that the quad city logo looks very similar to the Chico Outlaws’ uni of the Golden baseball league which also looks like the logo of the I believe Kansas City Bandit hockey team. And by the way goldenbaseball.com is the website for some very good indy baseball.

interlockingtc|
March 24, 2008 at 9:01 am |

“Los Lakers”?

In honor of the Latino readers, please refer to me as Los interlockingtc today.

1. Are we really that obsessed with uniforms that we are analyzing the pictures from computer games?

Second. The only reason the first question exists is the pic reminds me of not so long ago when I played the PSOne on a regular basis and thought it was incredibly awesome that the graphics were so real. Except in NHL 2000, when the goalie turns around, his blocker is still facing forward and sometimes you can see the stick in his hands even though its supposed to be on the other side of his legs.

1. Are we really that obsessed with uniforms that we are analyzing the pictures from computer games?

Second. The only reason the first question exists is the pic reminds me of not so long ago when I played the PSOne on a regular basis and thought it was incredibly awesome that the graphics were so real. Except in NHL 2000, when the goalie turns around, his blocker is still facing forward and sometimes you can see the stick in his hands even though its supposed to be on the other side of his legs.

Thats all I’m trying to say. :)[/quote]
In regards to the screenshot, a lot of promotional screenshots for games are photoshopped before they are released. There is an insance where EA released a screenshot for NBA Live with the torso of a player photoshopped out and all you saw was his legs. It was in the background of a picture so they must have thought noone would notice. All I can say about this one is that they wanted to make it look shiny or something and it just lookes dumb.

Interesting story about the University of San Diego band in the NCAA Tourney. This was the first year they a pep band and their teams made both the men’s and women’s tournaments. The band thought they had a stronger connection to the women so they went to Palo Alto (where the team was playing Cal.) The cheerleaders went to cheer on the men in Tampa. They “rented” the Western Kentucky band for $1,000. They wore San Diego shirts and beanies and played as if they were the San Diego band.

Dwight|
March 24, 2008 at 9:49 am |

Not necessarily UNI related – but it’s a response to a question re: Reliant Stadium transforming from RodeoHouston to the Regionals this weekend.

1. Are we really that obsessed with uniforms that we are analyzing the pictures from computer games?

Second. The only reason the first question exists is the pic reminds me of not so long ago when I played the PSOne on a regular basis and thought it was incredibly awesome that the graphics were so real. Except in NHL 2000, when the goalie turns around, his blocker is still facing forward and sometimes you can see the stick in his hands even though its supposed to be on the other side of his legs.

Thats all I’m trying to say. :)[/quote]
In regards to the screenshot, a lot of promotional screenshots for games are photoshopped before they are released. There is an insance where EA released a screenshot for NBA Live with the torso of a player photoshopped out and all you saw was his legs. It was in the background of a picture so they must have thought noone would notice. All I can say about this one is that they wanted to make it look shiny or something and it just lookes dumb.[/quote]

Yeah, EA does not have a lot of respect in the gamer community for doing stuff like that, as well as frustration for them acquiring exclusive rights to the NFL license. That, and they are one of the few companies whose feature list seems to DECREASE over time

Steve|
March 24, 2008 at 10:27 am |

Any update on who’s in the lead (or how many points the leader has) in the Uni Watch NCAA tourney contest?

Talon Lardner|
March 24, 2008 at 10:44 am |

Also, if you think the Nike gloves that was posted above is logo creep, then what do you call These?

[quote comment=”241811″]Any update on who’s in the lead (or how many points the leader has) in the Uni Watch NCAA tourney contest?[/quote]

It sure as hell isn’t me. And, I’d like to thank Duke, Southern Cal, Georgia, Vanderbilt, and UNLV for that.

David|
March 24, 2008 at 11:05 am |

This weekend over lunch with my Dad, we got on the topic of sports unis, particularly those of his favorite sports city, Pittsburgh. Which got me thinking…all the major sports teams in the steel city wear black and gold, off the city seal. Are there any other U.S. or Canadian cities with a similar consistent color scheme among the major sports teams? I couldn’t think of any offhand, but thought of a few that have two or three teams with the same colors…Atlanta (Braves/Hawks), NYC (Mets, Knicks). It’s prevalent in Europe where citywide clubs compete in multiple sports (e.g. Roma, Barca, Benfica), but it’s strange that there aren’t more instances here in the states.

Mickel Yantz|
March 24, 2008 at 11:06 am |

Link
Fun article about the NFL in the year 2000 written in 1978 with inventor Byron Donzis’s air filled shoulder pads worn by Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini. Great pics

Alan #44|
March 24, 2008 at 11:11 am |

In all my years of watching, I never understood why basketball and hockey coaches wear suits. They look so uncomfortable and probably get all sweaty and gross. Can anyone explain?

Steve|
March 24, 2008 at 11:12 am |

Center-court logos a slippery topic for Heels

North Carolina’s Marcus Ginyard slipped on the NCAA logo at midcourt during the first half and turned over the ball.

Tyler Hansbrough slipped on the logo and missed an opportunity at a second-half steal for the Tar Heels. Coach Roy Williams said personnel at the RBC Center did everything within their power to keep the logo clean to prevent the logo from tripping players.

But players still fell. The huge, circular, temporary logos are placed on the floor before tournament events.

“Let’s stop putting those stupid logos on the floor where kids slip and slide around and somebody is going to get hurt,” Williams said, “and I’ve said that for years and years and years.”

So all these years you thought Miami’s school colors were green, orange and white. They are, even though yesterday its basketball team wore – What else? – its Nike-issue black uniforms.

Tyler|
March 24, 2008 at 11:45 am |

[quote comment=”241811″]Any update on who’s in the lead (or how many points the leader has) in the Uni Watch NCAA tourney contest?[/quote]

I’m also very interested to know…

Mets Fan AZ|
March 24, 2008 at 11:50 am |

[quote comment=”241821″]This weekend over lunch with my Dad, we got on the topic of sports unis, particularly those of his favorite sports city, Pittsburgh. Which got me thinking…all the major sports teams in the steel city wear black and gold, off the city seal. Are there any other U.S. or Canadian cities with a similar consistent color scheme among the major sports teams? I couldn’t think of any offhand, but thought of a few that have two or three teams with the same colors…Atlanta (Braves/Hawks), NYC (Mets, Knicks). It’s prevalent in Europe where citywide clubs compete in multiple sports (e.g. Roma, Barca, Benfica), but it’s strange that there aren’t more instances here in the states.[/quote]
I’m pretty sure that the Penguins switched from light blue and yellow right around 79-80ish to match the Steelers and Pirates who were both WS and SB champs. Just a tidbit… I always thought the stars should have switch to silver and blue when they moved.

Woohoo! I got 15 logos correct, 5 incorrect. What does that say about me?

mike|
March 24, 2008 at 12:00 pm |

[quote comment=”241821″]This weekend over lunch with my Dad, we got on the topic of sports unis, particularly those of his favorite sports city, Pittsburgh. Which got me thinking…all the major sports teams in the steel city wear black and gold, off the city seal. Are there any other U.S. or Canadian cities with a similar consistent color scheme among the major sports teams? I couldn’t think of any offhand, but thought of a few that have two or three teams with the same colors…Atlanta (Braves/Hawks), NYC (Mets, Knicks). It’s prevalent in Europe where citywide clubs compete in multiple sports (e.g. Roma, Barca, Benfica), but it’s strange that there aren’t more instances here in the states.[/quote]

The only one I can think of that’s close – Toronto was consistent with blue and white (Leafs, Blue Jays and Argonauts) until the Raptors arrived.

mike|
March 24, 2008 at 12:02 pm |

Not entirely Uni-related, but out of the SI Vault comes perhaps the greatest piece of sportswriting of all time:

[quote comment=”241833″]Woohoo! I got 15 logos correct, 5 incorrect. What does that say about me?[/quote]
It says I’m better than you. Out of 20, the only one I got wrong was Starbucks. Apparently there are stars on the insignia (in the circle around the mermaid). Figures. I’m a transplanted American in Montreal, and Tim Horton’s can make you forget about Starbucks in a hurry.

J-P|
March 24, 2008 at 12:08 pm |

Did anyone else notice that the player that Traylor is guarding is wearing a wristband with Nike’s baseball logo on it?

[quote comment=”241832″][quote comment=”241821″]This weekend over lunch with my Dad, we got on the topic of sports unis, particularly those of his favorite sports city, Pittsburgh. Which got me thinking…all the major sports teams in the steel city wear black and gold, off the city seal. Are there any other U.S. or Canadian cities with a similar consistent color scheme among the major sports teams? I couldn’t think of any offhand, but thought of a few that have two or three teams with the same colors…Atlanta (Braves/Hawks), NYC (Mets, Knicks). It’s prevalent in Europe where citywide clubs compete in multiple sports (e.g. Roma, Barca, Benfica), but it’s strange that there aren’t more instances here in the states.[/quote]
I’m pretty sure that the Penguins switched from light blue and yellow right around 79-80ish to match the Steelers and Pirates who were both WS and SB champs. Just a tidbit… I always thought the stars should have switch to silver and blue when they moved.[/quote]

As an Atlanta fan, I wish the Thrashers would switch to the red/navy combo (actually, I’d like most color combos aside from their current mess of blues and browns). And I don’t know the validity of this, but I’ve always been told that the Falcons modeled their colors after UGA due to the fact that they’re the dominant college fanbase in the Atlanta area.

Quint|
March 24, 2008 at 12:16 pm |

[quote comment=”241821″]This weekend over lunch with my Dad, we got on the topic of sports unis, particularly those of his favorite sports city, Pittsburgh. Which got me thinking…all the major sports teams in the steel city wear black and gold, off the city seal. Are there any other U.S. or Canadian cities with a similar consistent color scheme among the major sports teams? I couldn’t think of any offhand, but thought of a few that have two or three teams with the same colors…Atlanta (Braves/Hawks), NYC (Mets, Knicks). It’s prevalent in Europe where citywide clubs compete in multiple sports (e.g. Roma, Barca, Benfica), but it’s strange that there aren’t more instances here in the states.[/quote]
Montreal: The Canadiens, Expos and Alouettes all red/white/blue. Of course, they’ve only got the 2 teams now, but for years Montreal and Pittsburgh were the answers to this question.

Alan #44|
March 24, 2008 at 12:23 pm |

[quote comment=”241847″][quote comment=”241821″]This weekend over lunch with my Dad, we got on the topic of sports unis, particularly those of his favorite sports city, Pittsburgh. Which got me thinking…all the major sports teams in the steel city wear black and gold, off the city seal. Are there any other U.S. or Canadian cities with a similar consistent color scheme among the major sports teams? I couldn’t think of any offhand, but thought of a few that have two or three teams with the same colors…Atlanta (Braves/Hawks), NYC (Mets, Knicks). It’s prevalent in Europe where citywide clubs compete in multiple sports (e.g. Roma, Barca, Benfica), but it’s strange that there aren’t more instances here in the states.[/quote]
Montreal: The Canadiens, Expos and Alouettes all red/white/blue. Of course, they’ve only got the 2 teams now, but for years Montreal and Pittsburgh were the answers to this question.[/quote]
Lakers and Kings used to both have yellow and purple.

efinch|
March 24, 2008 at 12:30 pm |

wasnt the lakers and kings in similar colors because of shared ownership? kinda like charlie finley’s a’s and california seals

Matt D.|
March 24, 2008 at 12:40 pm |

[quote comment=”241850″]wasnt the lakers and kings in similar colors because of shared ownership? kinda like charlie finley’s a’s and california seals[/quote]

It’s possible…Jack Kent Cooke owned both. Thank God he left the Redskins alone.
It was out of the bay area, but you could add the Memphis Tams to Finley’s Green-and-Gold fetish.

This weekend over lunch with my Dad, we got on the topic of sports unis, particularly those of his favorite sports city, Pittsburgh. Which got me thinking…all the major sports teams in the steel city wear black and gold, off the city seal. Are there any other U.S. or Canadian cities with a similar consistent color scheme among the major sports teams? I couldn’t think of any offhand, but thought of a few that have two or three teams with the same colors…Atlanta (Braves/Hawks), NYC (Mets, Knicks). It’s prevalent in Europe where citywide clubs compete in multiple sports (e.g. Roma, Barca, Benfica), but it’s strange that there aren’t more instances here in the states.

I’m pretty sure that the Penguins switched from light blue and yellow right around 79-80ish to match the Steelers and Pirates who were both WS and SB champs. Just a tidbit… I always thought the stars should have switch to silver and blue when they moved.

the boston bruins actually tried to stop the penguins from switching colors… but, score one for the nhl! they let the pens switch.

In all my years of watching, I never understood why basketball and hockey coaches wear suits. They look so uncomfortable and probably get all sweaty and gross. Can anyone explain?

…cause it’s WAY better than baseball coaches wearing uniforms!

Rick White in Cedar Park, TX|
March 24, 2008 at 12:45 pm |

[quote comment=”241840″][quote comment=”241833″]Woohoo! I got 15 logos correct, 5 incorrect. What does that say about me?[/quote]
It says I’m better than you. Out of 20, the only one I got wrong was Starbucks. Apparently there are stars on the insignia (in the circle around the mermaid). Figures. I’m a transplanted American in Montreal, and Tim Horton’s can make you forget about Starbucks in a hurry.[/quote]

I got 17 right. Missed Hardee’s, Pepsi, and … can’t remember the other one off-hand.

Will Morris|
March 24, 2008 at 12:50 pm |

Got all 20 correct on the test.

John Philips|
March 24, 2008 at 12:53 pm |

Regarding the 1974 game with the Texas Rangers and the blue jerseys, I remember it well.
The Rangers were playing the A’s that afternoon. The Rangers were hanging tough that season (Jeff Burroughs won the MVP eventually) and the games between Texas and Oakland were turning ugly. I’m pretty sure that Fergie Jenkins won a 1-0 shutout the night before and that Jim Bibby (the former Met) was going against A’s reliever Daryl Knowles that afternoon. In those days, the A’s coaches wore the white caps while the players wore green. Martin, always looking for an edge, protested the white hats and tried to get the A’s to go with all green hats. The league turned down his request, so on the Saturday Game of the Week, Martin alone wore his blue away jersey with the white pants, claiming that if the A’s coaches could where white hats, he could wear a blue jersey. This was the topic of the pregame show for 15 minutes. The rest of the Rangers wore their regular jerseys that afternoon. The A’s pasted the Rangers in the game. Ironically, it was Billy Martin who finally retired the white hats when he took over as Oakland manager in 1980. Billy also redesigned the A’s uniform for the 1982 season – the dark green with piping and a green A’s on the right side of the jersey. I bought Fernando Arroyo’s 82 home jersey for $80 and still own it – although my wife forbids me to wear it in public.

Now if I could only remember what I had for breakfast this morning, this would be a perfect world.

Marty Met|
March 24, 2008 at 12:59 pm |

[quote comment=”241829″]From today’s NY Post:

So all these years you thought Miami’s school colors were green, orange and white. They are, even though yesterday its basketball team wore – What else? – its Nike-issue black uniforms.[/quote]

It’s been awhile, but I bet some things haven’t changed about Koshien:

– They still number by position, 1-9, with the scrubs wearing 10-14? You can always tell a blow out when you notice that #7 is pitching…
– If the leadoff hitter in the first walks on four pitchers, or gets beaned, the #2 will STILL bunt, I’ll bet your mortgage on it
– Some kid will have 500 pitches in six days

Koshien has to be experienced to be believed. The summer tournament is better, though, assuming the spring version is still the 32-team invitational…

Scott|
March 24, 2008 at 1:09 pm |

[quote comment=”241783″]If my Japanese is correct, in between the “’08” and the “MLB” on Ortiz’ red lapel-like thing it says “Ricoh”. It’s multi-lingual logo creep.[/quote]
You’re right, although I don’t know if that strictly qualifies as logo creep. It’s just the full name for the Japan games, ’08 Ricoh MLB Opening Series, in Japanese.

[quote comment=”241854″][quote comment=”241840″][quote comment=”241833″][quote]Woohoo! I got 15 logos correct, 5 incorrect. What does that say about me?[/quote]
It says I’m better than you. Out of 20, the only one I got wrong was Starbucks. Apparently there are stars on the insignia (in the circle around the mermaid). Figures. I’m a transplanted American in Montreal, and Tim Horton’s can make you forget about Starbucks in a hurry.[/quote]

I got 17 right. Missed Hardee’s, Pepsi, and … can’t remember the other one off-hand.[/quote]
Got all 20 correct on the test.[/quote]

i din’t get a single one wrong

of course, i din’t take the test either

[apologies to the late great uncle miltie]

Robert|
March 24, 2008 at 1:29 pm |

[quote comment=”241856″]Regarding the 1974 game with the Texas Rangers and the blue jerseys, I remember it well.
The Rangers were playing the A’s that afternoon. The Rangers were hanging tough that season (Jeff Burroughs won the MVP eventually) and the games between Texas and Oakland were turning ugly. I’m pretty sure that Fergie Jenkins won a 1-0 shutout the night before and that Jim Bibby (the former Met) was going against A’s reliever Daryl Knowles that afternoon. In those days, the A’s coaches wore the white caps while the players wore green. Martin, always looking for an edge, protested the white hats and tried to get the A’s to go with all green hats. The league turned down his request, so on the Saturday Game of the Week, Martin alone wore his blue away jersey with the white pants, claiming that if the A’s coaches could where white hats, he could wear a blue jersey.

This was the topic of the pregame show for 15 minutes.

The rest of the Rangers wore their regular jerseys that afternoon. The A’s pasted the Rangers in the game.

Ironically, it was Billy Martin who finally retired the white hats when he took over as Oakland manager in 1980. Billy also redesigned the A’s uniform for the 1982 season – the dark green with piping and a green A’s on the right side of the jersey.

I bought Fernando Arroyo’s 82 home jersey for $80 and still own it – although my wife forbids me to wear it in public.

Now if I could only remember what I had for breakfast this morning, this would be a perfect world.[/quote]

[quote comment=”241861″]Well the Black pants with the Yellow jersey was the best of the Buccos 9 different combonations, This pretty Sweet.

Much more fun than white with blue pinstripes and interlocking NY. (God I sound like the teacher from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off just describing them. YAWN[/quote]

If you are afflicted with such a short attention span, might I suggest that baseball’s not really the sport for you?

The Arena Leagues might be a little more up your alley.

Stuby|
March 24, 2008 at 1:42 pm |

[quote comment=”241853″]In all my years of watching, I never understood why basketball and hockey coaches wear suits. They look so uncomfortable and probably get all sweaty and gross. Can anyone explain?…cause it’s WAY better than baseball coaches wearing uniforms![/quote]I always like the Maui invitational, when the coaches wear the ultra-loud Aloha shirts (I’m sure they all have the Swoosh or the 3-Stripes on them somewhere).

Pete|
March 24, 2008 at 1:44 pm |

Paul, by your own admission, back when you defined your terms on “logo creep,” you stated that logos on equipment are OK.

So why do we have to read more whining about “logo creep” on a pair of receiver gloves?

Taylor|
March 24, 2008 at 1:47 pm |

[quote comment=”241858″][quote comment=”241829″]From today’s NY Post:

So all these years you thought Miami’s school colors were green, orange and white. They are, even though yesterday its basketball team wore – What else? – its Nike-issue black uniforms.[/quote]

I’ll tell ya what, no one had to include the swoosh in that corporate logo quiz.

(I’m embarrassed to have answered 19 of 20 correctly.)[/quote]

20 for 20 here! (not sure if he should stand tall or hide head in shame). I do like the comment about the CBS logo from 1975 being a more “professional-looking” font, when, in fact, the fake logo’s font was MUCH closer to the modern day version found on the CBS website (yes, I checked it out … My name is Jim, and I have a problem with corporate logos …) I was also waiting for option C on the Hardee’s logo, since NEITHER one shown is currently correct!

Mike|
March 24, 2008 at 3:00 pm |

[quote comment=”241878″]Tommy Lasorda was with the Dodgers as a major league player in Brooklyn only (54 and 55). He then went to Kansas City for one year and retired.

He was then manager of LA in 1976. That photo is clearly not from 1976. So how did he have any association at all with *any* Los Angeles team between 1957-1976?[/quote]

I’ll tell ya what, no one had to include the swoosh in that corporate logo quiz.

(I’m embarrassed to have answered 19 of 20 correctly.)[/quote]

20 for 20 here! (not sure if he should stand tall or hide head in shame). I do like the comment about the CBS logo from 1975 being a more “professional-looking” font, when, in fact, the fake logo’s font was MUCH closer to the modern day version found on the CBS website (yes, I checked it out … My name is Jim, and I have a problem with corporate logos …) I was also waiting for option C on the Hardee’s logo, since NEITHER one shown is currently correct![/quote]

OKAY – what quiz?

Juan Grande|
March 24, 2008 at 3:05 pm |

[quote comment=”241844″]Apologies if this has already been posted or mentioned.

Interesting. I’m guessing minor league, myself. I’d speculate that mabye one of the Dodgers’ farm teams he managed were also called the “Dodgers,” but he doesn’t look old enough in that photo.

Joey Guns|
March 24, 2008 at 3:55 pm |

[quote comment=”241811″]Any update on who’s in the lead (or how many points the leader has) in the Uni Watch NCAA tourney contest?[/quote]

I have Villanova and 5 other scrubby teams, so I have at least 24 points! haha

warren thompson|
March 24, 2008 at 4:22 pm |

[quote comment=”241822″]Link
Fun article about the NFL in the year 2000 written in 1978 with inventor Byron Donzis’s air filled shoulder pads worn by Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini. Great pics[/quote]

“Byron Donziz”? Lord have mercy! He was a couple of grades ahead of me at Woodlawn Elementary School, San Antonio, Texas, in the academic year 1944-45 — and, yes, that’s an earlier century — the focus of every girl’s attention.

[A four-eyed geek at the time, when there weren’t that many boys wearing glasses, I wasn’t so fortunate. :(]

[quote comment=”241895″]Interesting. I’m guessing minor league, myself. I’d speculate that mabye one of the Dodgers’ farm teams he managed were also called the “Dodgers,” but he doesn’t look old enough in that photo.[/quote]

But I don’t think they had a minor league team in LA. You could then argue that the LA hats are hand-me-downs. But if they had the money to design their own pinstriped uni, they’d most certainly have their own hat.

Can’t wait until Paul spills the beans!

ss|
March 24, 2008 at 5:26 pm |

the shiny part of the uniform on that screen grab for the ncaa football video game was not what i first noticed. i fell victim to the uncanny valley and noticed how ackward the arms on positioned. they’re too far down on the body to look normal to me.

Glenn|
March 24, 2008 at 6:02 pm |

[quote comment=”241836″][quote comment=”241821″]This weekend over lunch with my Dad, we got on the topic of sports unis, particularly those of his favorite sports city, Pittsburgh. Which got me thinking…all the major sports teams in the steel city wear black and gold, off the city seal. Are there any other U.S. or Canadian cities with a similar consistent color scheme among the major sports teams? I couldn’t think of any offhand, but thought of a few that have two or three teams with the same colors…Atlanta (Braves/Hawks), NYC (Mets, Knicks). It’s prevalent in Europe where citywide clubs compete in multiple sports (e.g. Roma, Barca, Benfica), but it’s strange that there aren’t more instances here in the states.[/quote]

The only one I can think of that’s close – Toronto was consistent with blue and white (Leafs, Blue Jays and Argonauts) until the Raptors arrived.[/quote]

Teams in Calgary have, for the most part, been pretty consistent in using red as a main colour, normally with white and/or black accents – or sometimes yellow, as in the case of the Flames.

Cathy|
March 24, 2008 at 6:07 pm |

[quote comment=”241889″][quote comment=”241881″]BTW, Mark Langill is the name of the official Dodgers historian. I think he works for the team. I got this from a Google search, so i have no idea.

Maybe if Paul or someone has his email… ask him about the pinstripes?[/quote]

Spoke with him about an hour ago. Details coming in a few days.[/quote]

Paul,

We’ve waited over a year…you tease! ;)

J|
March 24, 2008 at 6:14 pm |

from SI Vault

OJ Simpson (1st regular season game as a pro?) wearing #36. Never saw him wear anything but #32.

[quote comment=”241856″]Regarding the 1974 game with the Texas Rangers and the blue jerseys, I remember it well.
The Rangers were playing the A’s that afternoon. The Rangers were hanging tough that season (Jeff Burroughs won the MVP eventually) and the games between Texas and Oakland were turning ugly. I’m pretty sure that Fergie Jenkins won a 1-0 shutout the night before and that Jim Bibby (the former Met) was going against A’s reliever Daryl Knowles that afternoon. In those days, the A’s coaches wore the white caps while the players wore green. Martin, always looking for an edge, protested the white hats and tried to get the A’s to go with all green hats. The league turned down his request, so on the Saturday Game of the Week, Martin alone wore his blue away jersey with the white pants, claiming that if the A’s coaches could where white hats, he could wear a blue jersey.

This was the topic of the pregame show for 15 minutes.

The rest of the Rangers wore their regular jerseys that afternoon. The A’s pasted the Rangers in the game.

Ironically, it was Billy Martin who finally retired the white hats when he took over as Oakland manager in 1980. Billy also redesigned the A’s uniform for the 1982 season – the dark green with piping and a green A’s on the right side of the jersey.

I bought Fernando Arroyo’s 82 home jersey for $80 and still own it – although my wife forbids me to wear it in public.

Now if I could only remember what I had for breakfast this morning, this would be a perfect world.[/quote]

Awesome recollection!

Did you notice that the A’s unis that year looked a lot like the Tigers? Martin’s old team?

btw, i got 18 of 20 on the logo quiz above…missed BMW and AT&T. figures. i drive a Toyota and use Sprint :)

MikeyB|
March 24, 2008 at 7:11 pm |

The Cal/Ohio State NIT game on ESPN right now is yellow vs. gray. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this particular color combination.

Brendan|
March 24, 2008 at 7:13 pm |

The logo quiz wasn’t too difficult, most of the real logos had JPG artifacts, while the false logos were more crisp (straight out of Illustrator). Some notes on specific questions:

Pepsi: The fake logo has the drop shadow for the letters on the left side, while the sphere has shading on the right. The real logo has a consistent light source.
Playboy: The eye in the fake logo is not round.
Dominos: The domino in the fake logo has the wrong dot layout.
AT&T: They show the real logo in the bottom test.

James Craven|
March 24, 2008 at 7:22 pm |

Could it be if Reebok has their way with the NFL that the Second Season cap they could get permission from Zubaz to have a retro cap akin to the one worn by Jim McMahon during his stay with the Iggles?

Jordan Pope|
March 24, 2008 at 7:27 pm |

[quote comment=”241932″]The Cal/Ohio State NIT game on ESPN right now is yellow vs. gray. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this particular color combination.[/quote]

Michigan and Ohio State

Brendan|
March 24, 2008 at 7:29 pm |

[quote comment=”241916″][quote comment=”241836″][quote comment=”241821″]This weekend over lunch with my Dad, we got on the topic of sports unis, particularly those of his favorite sports city, Pittsburgh. Which got me thinking…all the major sports teams in the steel city wear black and gold, off the city seal. Are there any other U.S. or Canadian cities with a similar consistent color scheme among the major sports teams? I couldn’t think of any offhand, but thought of a few that have two or three teams with the same colors…Atlanta (Braves/Hawks), NYC (Mets, Knicks). It’s prevalent in Europe where citywide clubs compete in multiple sports (e.g. Roma, Barca, Benfica), but it’s strange that there aren’t more instances here in the states.[/quote]

The only one I can think of that’s close – Toronto was consistent with blue and white (Leafs, Blue Jays and Argonauts) until the Raptors arrived.[/quote]

Teams in Calgary have, for the most part, been pretty consistent in using red as a main colour, normally with white and/or black accents – or sometimes yellow, as in the case of the Flames.[/quote]

Aside from football and soccer, Oakland has had pro teams in every sport wear green and gold: the A’s, the Seals, and the (ABA) Oaks. Guess what colors are on the flag. Gold has been a color of nearly every team in Oakland, however, with the Warriors, Stompers, and the original Raiders colors. The only deviation is the colors of the Oakland Skates of Roller Hockey International.

About Sports teams taking the city’s colors, I know virtually all the teams playing in Miami have the colors of their City Flag.

lwiedy|
March 24, 2008 at 8:13 pm |

[quote comment=”241925″][quote comment=”241856″]Regarding the 1974 game with the Texas Rangers and the blue jerseys, I remember it well.
The Rangers were playing the A’s that afternoon. The Rangers were hanging tough that season (Jeff Burroughs won the MVP eventually) and the games between Texas and Oakland were turning ugly. I’m pretty sure that Fergie Jenkins won a 1-0 shutout the night before and that Jim Bibby (the former Met) was going against A’s reliever Daryl Knowles that afternoon. In those days, the A’s coaches wore the white caps while the players wore green. Martin, always looking for an edge, protested the white hats and tried to get the A’s to go with all green hats. The league turned down his request, so on the Saturday Game of the Week, Martin alone wore his blue away jersey with the white pants, claiming that if the A’s coaches could where white hats, he could wear a blue jersey.

This was the topic of the pregame show for 15 minutes.

The rest of the Rangers wore their regular jerseys that afternoon. The A’s pasted the Rangers in the game.

Ironically, it was Billy Martin who finally retired the white hats when he took over as Oakland manager in 1980. Billy also redesigned the A’s uniform for the 1982 season – the dark green with piping and a green A’s on the right side of the jersey.

I bought Fernando Arroyo’s 82 home jersey for $80 and still own it – although my wife forbids me to wear it in public.

Now if I could only remember what I had for breakfast this morning, this would be a perfect world.[/quote]

Awesome recollection!

Did you notice that the A’s unis that year looked a lot like the Tigers? Martin’s old team?

Go A’s![/quote]

I never made that association, but you are right. Even the road uni’s which, like the Tigers at that time, were a completely different style from the home. Right down to the block “OAKLAND” which they never had before. 1982 (roads) was the only A’s club not to feature white shoes for their entire history in the Bay Area.

The SI archives led me to find the April 5, 1989 article on baseball uniforms that got me obsesses with the topic. Absolutely love this line:

“You’ve got to have a belt,” says outfielder Fred Lynn of the Detroit Tigers. “That’s the way uniforms are supposed to be made. For belts.”

LI Phil|
March 24, 2008 at 8:58 pm |

[quote comment=”241938″]Oakland has had pro teams in every sport wear green and gold: the A’s, the Seals, and the (ABA) Oaks. Guess what colors are on the flag. Gold has been a color of nearly every team in Oakland.[/quote]

It’s been awhile, but I bet some things haven’t changed about Koshien:

– They still number by position, 1-9, with the scrubs wearing 10-14? You can always tell a blow out when you notice that #7 is pitching…
– If the leadoff hitter in the first walks on four pitchers, or gets beaned, the #2 will STILL bunt, I’ll bet your mortgage on it
– Some kid will have 500 pitches in six days

Koshien has to be experienced to be believed. The summer tournament is better, though, assuming the spring version is still the 32-team invitational…[/quote]

Scott, your recollections are perfect, though these days there seem to be 16 players, and 10 and 11 are given to the two backup pitchers, 12 to the backup catchers, and 13-16 to the other backups. Very regimented!

My team, Ohmi, actually had the left fielder be the main backup pitcher, so we saw a lot of #7 on the mound. Needless to say, #1 is the pitcher on the mound for all nine ninings for almost every team — those kids work miracles with those pitch counts!

And not only do they bunt very well, but they almost never hit fouls! In the first game I ever attended, Ohmi vs. Nichidai Fujisawa (of Kanagawa prefecture) in 1998, I was in prime foul-catching territory on the first-base side. The leadoff batter hit a foul into the stands on the other side, and after that no other ball went out of play!